The Peculiarity of Humans
by meetmyoddlydrawnmemories
Summary: Saleah, a brilliant girl with a slightly dark history and a fetish for boys with a criminal record, is shocked to discover that she was actually the kidnapped daughter of Irene Adler. But who was her father? Could it be the mysterious Sherlock Holmes? And if so, will he let her keep running her strange and possibly illegal business? Featuring teen Rosie! First fanfic
1. chapter 1

Perhaps the thing that most surprised Sherlock Holmes was the incredible ability of Saleah Gaiffin to ignore people. While most girls of the awkward age of fifteen cared about boys and makeup and clothes and shopping, Saleah neither cared about those things nor really knew what they were like because she could never bring herself to actually try them. Instead, ever the great scholar, she was in college and doing better than most adults.

Sherlock actually met Saleah at the morgue. As she rushed into the room where Molly Hooper busily examined bodies, she threw a school bag on the nearest table(where Sherlock was trying to work). Reaching her hand out and brushing a large stack of records off the table, she announced, "I'm so careful with things." And Molly Hooper glared. Ignoring the reaction of everyone's favorite pathologist, Saleah proceeded to sit down and grab a bottle of chemicals. Sherlock glanced up but said nothing.

Born and raised in America, exchange student probably. Fifteen years of age. Brilliant scholar, expert chemist. Master of deduction and manipulation. Criminal knowledge exemplary. Extensive self harm scarring suggesting emotional abuse and boredom or at least not feeling at home in the world.

His train of thought was rudely interrupted when Saleah loudly slammed a jar of blood on the table. "Did you take my liquid nitrogen?"

Well. What an interesting child.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Sixteen Years Ago_**

Irene Adler leaned against the back of the horridly uncomfortable hospital bed, running her fingers through her dark hair. Her very own child. How did this happen? How would she take care of a child? Wouldn't this disrupt her entire life? It would.

But somehow she couldn't give up the tiny bundle in her arms. Not for the world.

Not even after how much she had complained during her pregnancy, not even after she had bragged about how she was going to give it up for adoption. She couldn't. Especially since the child looked so much like her father, whom she would never know. Irene swore to never speak to him again. She probably made a mistake telling them who the father was, but insisted that they pretend it never happened.

A nurse had taken young Annabeth Holmes-Adler back to the nursery and Irene sat contemplating the meaning of this new stage of life when a police officer rushed into her room to give her the worst news of her life.

The hospital had been broken into. More specifically, the nursery.

And Annabeth was missing.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry the chapters are so short guys! I haven't really had time to build a store of chapters to post and I'm still trying to get the whole fanfiction thing figured out. Thank you for all the follows and the love already! :) I'm trying to get a longer amount of words per chapter to post by next week. Thank you everyone! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry it took so long for there to be another update everyone! I have been so busy it's ridiculous. Anyway, here's a chapter of what I'm hoping is a satisfactory length. Also sorry if Saleah's background seems a bit unclear! I'm hoping to clear that up in the next chapter. Thank you for everyone who is following and reading :) Also, I didn't beta this so I'm hoping it is ok. I'm also hoping to update once a week now that things have slowed down a bit :) Thank you all!

-Cati

Saleah Gaiffin stepped off the platform of the New York Subway, her short, dark hair blowing in the wind. Her face had an annoyed look to it, her features contorted in a mix between disgust and severity. Her cobalt grey eyes roamed the crowd, drinking in the sight and then spitting it back in disgust. Calculating. Cold. Her dark purple Belstaff coat blew in the rush of the passing trains, and the turned-up collar stiffly remained in its position. Her well-tailored blouse fit perfectly with her high waisted asphalt trousers. With the six buttons. No less. Saleah was staunch on the six-buttons during the shopping trip.

Her combat boots added a surprising touch to her otherwise businesslike outfit. Her small suitcase swung limply in her left hand, like it held nothing important. In her right, a small violin case was gripped tightly, like it held everything important. Holding her head high, she stepped quickly through the throngs of people, elbowing and yelling her way out of the crowded station. "Get out of my way! I've got somewhere to be! MOVE, IMBECILES!" Yet no one paid attention, so Saleah continued on her way, rudely trampling over anything in her intended path.

At the exit door, a blue-haired woman waited impatiently, counting under her breath the patterns on her black knit sweater. "About time," she grumbled, straightening up and taking off after the dark-haired girl. "Saleah Gaiffin! Get over here!" Saleah turned on her heel and waited, a scowl clouding her face. "What do you want?" "I wanted to tell you goodbye," the woman cried, squishing her into a very protective bear hug. "Hm. Bye, Aunt Katrina," Saleah growled, turning on her heel and stalking off. "Saleah!"

"I told you goodbye this morning, you demanding, emotional creature!" she announced, dialing a number and putting a phone up to her ear. "Honestly, it makes me sick. You're so concerned and involved suddenly. You weren't around for the first ten years of my life and then you show up suddenly after my parents die. But you aren't a real relative! You haven't been here for me at all because you're too drunk to walk in a straight line and you spend all your time wasted in a bar somewhere and I'm always having to get you out of trouble! I'm done!" "But sweetie, I-" "Look at you right now! You're shaking all over and the only reason you're here is because you somehow managed to climb out of the gutter and put on one of my sweaters! Get out! I got the scholarship to this exchange program all by myself without any help from you! I'm going to London and when my exchange is over I'm not coming back to New York!"

Saleah stalked out of the station, her boots clomping loudly, the beat matching the anger she felt. Stepping out onto a sidewalk, she spilled the air out of her lungs in an angry sob. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one had noticed, she quickly gathered herself together and began to walk down the sidewalk to reach the airport. People walked by quickly, not glancing at her, for which she was grateful. She turned up the collar for her Belstaff coat and put her head down, focusing on her breath and talking herself through her emotions.

"Calm down. Shut it off. Shut it off. Shut it off," she repeated to herself over and over. Chanting it. Matching it to the drumming of her feet. Anything to distract herself. She wished she could pull out her violin and play it angrily, the strings screeching, displaying her anger. But unfortunately, that would make her miss her flight. So she just kept walking.

Saleah kept her senses off while she passed through waiting, through security, through everything else. Finally, she got her things together and moved into the waiting area for the flight. As the reality of her situation finally sunk in, she felt herself breaking internally. "Can you watch my things?" she politely asked a young mother holding a sleepy toddler. "Sure," the woman agreed. Saleah bolted off in the directions of the restroom.

Running inside, she locked the stall door and began to throw up. Finally, she sank to the floor, tears rolling down her face. She wasn't sure how long she sat like that. Eventually, she opened the door and walked to the sinks to wash her face. As she patted her face dry with paper towels, a voice nearby startled her. "Are you okay, dear?"

Saleah glanced up in the mirror to see a kindly but concerned looking elderly lady behind her. "Yeah. I'm great." "Listen, honey. Sometimes you just have to let it out. It's okay, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Saleah nodded. "Thank you." The elderly lady smiled and walked out.

Walking back to her seat, she thanked the mother for watching her things and then ended up playing with the toddler until they called her flight number. As she stood up and headed toward the plane, dragging her suitcase behind her, she exhaled strongly. A fresh start. Finally.


End file.
